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It’s pretty amazing how many teams most thought would be good this season are 0-2.

Most Impressive Teams From Week 2

New England Patriots (2-0)– The Tom Brady revenge tour raged through Buffalo this weekend and put up three touchdowns and 466 yards passing on the Buffalo defense. Rob Gronkowski went over 100 yards, Julian Edelman caught two TDs and nine different Patriots caught passes. The defense let up late, allowing 19 points in the fourth to the Bills to make the final score close, but it really wasn’t.

Arizona Cardinals (2-0) –Carson Palmer is healthy and it means this team is a force to be reckoned with in a division that has the NFC Champs bringing up the rear at 0-2. Palmer was efficient throwing 4 touchdowns on just 185 yards passing. The Cards got help from their defense, and special teams with a team record 108-yard kickoff return. Not to mention that Larry Fitzgerald had one of the best games of his career, catching 3 scores after going nine straight (including the playoffs) without a single one.

Green Bay Packers (2-0) –Make it nine straight regular season home wins for the Packers who got revenge for their NFC Championship loss to the Seahawks. Both defenses played well, but the big play came by Green Bay in the fourth, an interception of Russell Wilson as the Pack went to score 11 to take the lead and the game. The fact that Green Bay could come out on top after losing both Eddie Lacy and Devonte Adams early to injury shows how deep this team is.

Most Disappointing Teams From Week 2

New York Giants (0-2)– The New York Giants are now 0-2… against the New York Giants. They got Odell Beckham Jr and Shane Vereen going, Eli Manning hasn’t thrown a pick and the defense shutdown Matt Ryan for most of the game. But it hasn’t mattered. In both games, they played the 55 minutes of football that should have them 2-0 and atop the NFC East. Instead, they’ve shot themselves in the foot to end two games with poor time management and poor play calling.

Indianapolis Colts (0-2) –For just the second time in his young career, Andrew Luck has lost two straight games. The fourth year QB threw 3 interceptions for the first time in nearly two years, and added a fumble to his bad night. The defense hasn’t been terrible, but they haven’t been able to make up for the bad offense.

Detroit Lions (0-2) – The defense hasn’t been a strengthlike it’s been in the past.Matthew Stafford has been erratic. But the most distressing part has the running game. They managed just 38 yards on the ground against the Vikings a week after surrendering 230 yards in week 1. When Matt Stafford leads you in rushing, that’s a problem. When he has most yards than four other guys combined, that’s a serious problem.

Most Surprising Performances from Week 2

Carolina Panthers (2-0) – I honestly don’t know how they’re doing it. Sure the defense is good, but offensively they haven’t done anything spectacular. Cam Newton looks better than last season, and has gotten it done on the ground, but their actual backs haven’t done much. Their big play threat in Kelvin Benjamin is down for the season, leaving Newton under 200 yards passing. But they’re doing enough and sit tied atop the division.

Oakland Raiders (1-1) – One week after a blowout loss to Cincinnati, they went toe-to-toe offensively with the Ravens and came out on top. David Carr threw for a career high 351 yards, and put a late turnover behind him quickly to throw the game winner with 26 seconds to go. He’s got two big weapons in rookie Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree to throw to, something Oakland has been missing for years.

New York Jets (2-0) –I knew they’d be good this season. But I don’t even think they’ve played their best football and here they are at 2-0 coming off a nice win in Indianapolis. Ryan Fitzpatrick has looked great and forged a quick connection with Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall. Chris Ivory got banged up in practice but has looked good so far. And the defense after being torched at times in week 1, specifically in the secondary, generated a great pass rush in week 2, and has an incredible 10 takeaways already.

Now we can get to my picks for week 3. I went just 5-11 to bring my season total to 15-17, so clearly I need a rebound.

Thursday Night Football

Redskins @ Giants: Washington’s defense has been one of the biggest surprises this season. New York’s defense is stopping the run, but allowing QBs to have a field day. The Giants offense looked a lot better in week 2, but they beat themselves late again. I should probably stop picking New York, but they handle the Skins well and without their late-game mistakes, I still think they’ve looked like the best team in the division. NEW YORK WINS

Sunday 1PM Games

Falcons @ Cowboys: Both teams enter 2-0 but with varying levels of health concerns. Dallas has been hit at QB with Tony Romo’s fractured clavicle, wide receiver with Dez Bryant’s broken foot and Jason Witten’s knee. Atlanta will be without rookie running back Tevin Coleman who injured his rib in their week 2 win. The Cowboys traded for guys to replace their injured stars, including a pick for Matt Cassel, who is a very capable starter. But Matt Ryan has a very healthy and electric Julio Jones paired with Roddy White and I think he’ll be able to out-pass anything the Boys throw out there. ATLANTA WINS

Colts @ Titans: Tennessee went from great to average in a weeks’ time, something to expect with a rookie QB. I’ve already gone over Indy’s problems so I won’t here. But the Jets showed you can do damage to the Colts secondary, so expect Marcus Mariota to throw early and often this week. However, I don’t think it will be enough. Andrew Luck will figure out how to play past his turnovers and explode in week 3 and get win number 1. INDIANAPOLIS WINS

Raiders @ Browns: Johnny Manziel was supposed to get another start after picking up his first win a week ago. Not so fast. Josh McCowan will be back after missing week 2 with injury. I don’t like the move, but I guess Cleveland is operating under the “you don’t lose your job because of injury idea.” As for Oakland, no one thought they’d be good this year, and yet they’ve done some good things early on. So who moves to a surprising 2-1? Give me the Raiders in a close one on the road.OAKLAND WINS

Bengals @ Ravens: Andy Dalton is off to one of the best starts of his career, the run game is producing and the defense is doing what it needs to do, holding opponents to 16 points a game. Now they face a hungry 0-2 Ravens team in an AFC North showdown. Baltimore’s defense has allowed that has allowed the seventh most points per game in the first two weeks. I thought Baltimore would be in contention for a playoff spot against this season, and while I know they can win this game and avoid an 0-3 start, I like the Bengals too much right now. CINCINNATI WINS

Jaguars @ Patriots: The Jacksonville Defense has been solid through two weeks of play, but they’re going to need to get to Tom Brady early and often if they want to unseat the champs. Blake Bortles looked better in week 2 than week 1, but he’s still got a lot of work to do. New England is just on another level and at home. They’ll get to 3-0 rather easily. NEW ENGLAND WINS

Saints @ Panthers: Already at 0-2, the Saints are now without Drew Brees. Carolina is seeing a better Cam Newton through two weeks than they saw all of last season. New Orleans defense has been atrocious, the Panthers pretty good. If all holds true, we’ve got another easy win for a soon-to-be 3-0 squad. CAROLINA WINS

Eagles @ Jets: DeMarco Murray has been very, very bad. Sam Bradford has been very bad. The Eagles special teams hasn’t been what it was, nor has the defense. New York has been good in every phase of the game, but it’s been their defense that has stood out above all. NEW YORK WINS

Buccaneers @ Texans: Bryan Hoyer did a better job than Ryan Mallett, but it wasn’t enough. Houston’s running game has been non-existent without Arian Foster. The defense isn’t what they can and have been in the past. Jameis Winston bounced back from a rough NFL debut to show flashes. If the Texans get some help on the ground, I like the Texans at home to pick up their first win. HOUSTON WINS

Chargers @ Vikings: Philip Rivers has been on point this season, completing 81 percent of his passes through two games. But turnovers hurt the Chargers chances at a 2-0 start a week ago. As for the Vikings, Adrian Peterson got back to his old self, racking up nearly 200 total yards to help get his team to 1-1. MINNESOTA WINS

Steelers @ Rams: The Steelers have looked good on offense through two weeks, and that was without Le’Veon Bell. Now with the AFC’s leading rusher from a year ago back, look out. St. Louis’s defense hasn’t been as good as I thought it would be, and the offense has had one great game, and one they’d like to forget about. So give me the more experienced Pittsburgh team on the road. PITTSBURGH WINS

Sunday 4/425 PM Games

49ers @ Cardinals: After a big first week, the Niners looked overwhelmed by the Steelers in week 2, particularly on defense, which is normally a strong suit. And now they have to contend with a hot Cardinals team on the road. Arizona is clicking on all cylinders, picking up where they left off last season with Carson Palmer. They might not give up 48 again, but San Francisco is going to have a tough time stopping the Cardinals. ARIZONA WINS

Bills @ Dolphins: Both of these teams looked great in week 1, and not so great in week 2. Buffalo is waiting for LeSean McCoy to look more like the guy Philadelphia ran out of the backfield last season. The Dolphins shot themselves in the foot with 13 flags for 113 penalty yards including a personal foul that set up the Jags game winning field-goal. The inconsistent showings of the Bills defense through two weeks makes it hard to gauge them. For that I’m taking the home team to improve to 2-1. MIAMI WINS

Bears @ Seahawks: One of these teams will be 0-3 (barring a tie) when the clock hits zero. And it’s easily going to be Chicago. While the Hawks haven’t been as good as they’ve been the past two years, they have been in both games and have played well enough to win. The Bears have looked awful and are now without Jay Cutler, though many are probably okay with that. SEATTLE WINS

Sunday Night Football

Broncos @ Lions: Peyton Manning woke up in week 2 but it was the Chiefs mistakes and Broncos defense that won the game in the end. Detroit is a surprising 0-2, but Matt Stafford always plays better at home than on the road. Denver is lucky to be 2-0, and I think that luck runs out this week. Look for the run game to get going for Detroit. DETROIT WINS

Monday Night Football

Chiefs @ Packers: Kansas City made some poor choices to end week 2. But they have to be happy with what they’ve seen from their skill position guys, now they just have to hope Jamaal Charles holds onto the football. Green Bay overcame injuries to key players in week 2 to get revenge on the Seahawks, thanks in large part to their defense. Both teams have impressed, but give me another home win for Aaron Rodgers and company this week.GREEN BAY WINS

I cannot believe we are here already. 9 weeks down. The playoff picture is starting to take shape.

So who has themselves in prime position, who has work to do and who is on the clock? Here is a breakdown by division of how all 32 teams look midway through the season.

AFC EAST (Remember when we all thought Tom Brady was done?)

New England Patriots (7-2): Since being blown out in week 4, the Pats have won 5 straight, 4 of those by double digits. They made easy work of the of 3 teams that could be in the playoffs, including a 22-point victory over the Broncos last week. Tom Brady is top 5 in passing yards in a season where Rob Gronkowski came in off injury and Julian Edelman was leading the team in receiving yards early. It took a couple weeks for them to figure things out, and now here they are, atop the AFC once again. It’s almost like in the NBA when everyone calls out the Spurs for being too old, and they go and win the championship. Maybe we should stop underestimating Brady and Belichick?

Buffalo Bills (5-3): They’ve lost their top running back, their 2nd back is banged up and yet here they are, fighting for a wild card spot. A big reason why is their defense. They’re 6th in points per game in the league and are a +7 in turnover differential. Add to that a steady progression from rookie wide receiver Sammy Watkins to a big play threat, the ability to close out games and decent production from QBs EJ Manuel and Kyle Orton (yes that Kyle Orton). If this team wants to stay in the conversation, they have to continue their strong defensive presence and get Fred Jackson back.

Miami Dolphins (5-3): Ryan Tannehill has taken a step. It’s in the right direction, but I’m not ready to say it’s a step that puts him in the next tier of quarterbacks step yet. His decision making has gotten much better, as has his accuracy, all things you want to see as your franchise starter gets older. Losing Knowshon Moreno was big, but Lamar Miller has done a good job picking up the slack. They find ways to win, and just demolished the once high flying Chargers to the tune of 37-0. Like the Bills, their defense is where they make money, and of the two teams, I think they have a better shot at a wild card spot coming off an 8-8 record a year ago. They’re no worse than a season ago.

New York Jets (1-8): 8 straight losses with no hope on the horizon. Geno Smith is on the bench. Eric Decker hasn’t been the addition they hoped for. Their defense has been awful and the run game has been abandoned. Things are so bad for the Jets that fan put their money together to buy a “Fire Idzik” billboard (their GM). Could Rex Ryan be out at the end of the season? Time will tell, but they’re fighting hard for a very high draft pick, and not the playoffs like I thought they would be this season.

AFC NORTH (Who would’ve thought all these teams would be above .500?)

Cincinnati Bengals (5-2-1): They’ve been inconsistent since coming out of their week 4 by with a record of 3-0. Inconsistency is bad in any sport, but it’s very bad for Cincy this year, as they can’t afford a slip in the only top-to-bottom over .500 division in football. Andy Dalton has shown flashes of deserving the big 6-year $115 million contract he got in the off-season. But again, inconsistency is an issue. Hopefully AJ Green is over his injury issues, because everyone knows how lethal he is in the passing game, and putting a confident Mohammad Sanu, who stepped up for Green in his absence, next to him is huge.

Pittsburgh Steelers (6-3): 12 TDs in two games. Historic numbers. That’s what Ben Roethlisberger and company have put up of late to get back into the division champion conversation. Pittsburgh is still very inconsistent. They started out 3-3, and despite their 3 game win streak, the Steelers defense is nowhere near the “steal curtain” of old. It’s more like a bead curtain. It’s easy to outscore your opponents, until it’s not. Can they keep it up? Yes. Will they? Who knows.

Cleveland Browns (5-3): So… we all saw this coming right? The Browns are 2 games over .500 despite not getting much from Ben Tate on the ground, an oft injured Jordan Cameron and a QB controversy heading into the season. They’ve been impressive, finding ways to win games late that they would’ve lost in years past. Brian Hoyer has gotten better at late game decision making and has his team looking at winning it’s most games in a while.

Baltimore Ravens (5-4): After looking like they’d turned a corner, Baltimore has lost two straight in the division, finding themselves momentarily in the basement. The positive for this team? They have games left in the division and it’s close, so it won’t take long to jump back into the top. But they can’t be so inconsistent on defense. The offense without Ray Rice hasn’t really skipped a beat, so if they can get some more stops, they will be in it til the end.

AFC SOUTH (Indianapolis is starting to pull away)

Indianapolis Colts (6-3): After an 0-2 start, the Colts have righted the ship in a huge way. Andrew Luck leads the league in passing yards, with a healthy 3,000 plus already! So you wouldn’t be surprised to know they have the best total offense because of it,which has helped cover up their middle of the pack total team defense. Those numbers are a bit skewed at 18 after allowing over 600 total yards to Pittsburgh in week 8, but it is what it is. They already beat Houston once, so in affect have a 3 game lead, and with how they’re playing, I think they’re easily on their way to another division crown.

Houston Texans(4-5): The good news? JJ Watt is a beast and they’ve already doubled their win total from a year ago. The bad news. they are in the same division as the Colts, and Ryan Fitzpatrick isn’t the greatest replacement for Matt Schaub, which has led to him being benched in favor of Ryan Mallett. But they are still in the conversation without any real production out of number 1 pick Jadeveon Clowney, so there is room for improvement. Add better days from offensive weapons Arian Foster and Andre Johnson, and I see them hovering around .500 the rest of the way.

Tennessee Titans (2-6): They’re in the bottom third of the league on both the offensive and defensive sides of the football. So frankly, I don’t know how they have two wins (one of which came against Jacksonville). Two of their losses were by a combined 3 points, which shows a lack of late game execution, which reeks of bad coaching and bad personnel. Delanie Walker might be the lone guy that’s having a representative season for Tennessee. And after a 7-9 season a year ago, there was a place for improvement, and they haven’t and look like they won’t even get back to a similar record this year.

Jacksonville Jaguars (1-8): They’re not good, but I have to give the Jags some credit. They aren’t rolling over on a weekly basis. They took down the Browns for their first win in wee 7. Things weren’t made easy for the Bengals and Dolphins following that win. Denard Robinson has proven to be a very good starting running back and Blake Bortles has shown some glimpses as the 4th pick in the 2014 draft. So while the record will again put them in the running for a top pick, there are at least signs of talent at skill positions in Jacksonville.

AFC WEST (Denver might start to run away with this one)

Denver Broncos (6-2): Peyton Manning is still really good, but even he couldn’t lead his team past the red hot Patriots. But at 6-2, they’re still in prime position to make a deep playoff run despite a very difficult schedule. The difference between last year’s Broncos and this year’s… the defense. A bad showing against New England not withstanding, off-season acquisitions are doing big things for this team on both sides of the football. This offense is so good, Wes Welker is now the 4th option. Think about that. I’m not worried about this team, and even though they haven’t run away with the division, the Chargers have dropped and they can do no worse than tying the season series with both them and the Chiefs.

Kansas City Chiefs (5-3): The defense hasn’t allowed more than 26 points in a game, and that came week 1. Jamal Charles continues to have the ability to break out on any day. Alex Smith isn’t lighting up the stat sheet, but he’s done enough to keep them in the conversation in the division. This team was never going to repeat the 9-0 start from a year ago, but they’ve responded from a slow start, and can still make a play at a wild card spot, if not the division.

San Diego Chargers (5-4): This team was 5-1 and looked like a top 2, top 3 team in the league. Now they’re on a 3-game slid that’s seen them score 3 TDs in the past 8 quarters of football. The defense can’t live up to that, but it’s hard to outscore 35-plus point efforts as well. So if this team wants to get back in the conversation, both sides of the football need to improve and fast.

Oakland Raiders (0-8): They may never win again. This team has yet to show me any reason to ever pick them. Charles Woodson called it early, and it never sparked a fire. They’re the worst team in the league, but could always fall into a win, and could lose that title to a Jets or Jaguars team. But I doubt that happens.

NFC EAST (Is this division really as “strong” as the records suggest?)

Philadelphia Eagles (6-2): They’re well on their way to a possible 2nd straight division crown. But a couple of big injuries in week 9 could derail their Superbowl aspirations. Nick Foles is set to be out 6-8 weeks with a broken collarbone, while DeMeco Ryans is out for the season with a torn Achilles. The latter could prove more costly, as Philly at least has a backup QB in Mark Sanchez who has proven he can help lead a team deep into the playoffs. But if they want to survive the injuries, the run game has to pick up the slack. So this team will only go as far as LeSean McCoy and Darren Sproles can run, in conjunction with Sanchez limiting the mistakes.

Dallas Cowboys (6-3): Just when you thought this might be their season, Tony Romo goes down. DeMarco Murray is on a record pace on the round, but with his injury history, how much more can you ask from him? Brandon Weedon wasn’t horrible with Cleveland, but you’re not going far with him either. You’ve got to hope you can get Romo back after the bye week in week 12, while hoping teams like the Packers, Panthers, Seahawks or 49ers don’t get hot and steal a wildcard spot.

New York Giants (3-5): The G-men were feeling good about themselves after a 3-game win streak that saw them score 30-plus to get them above the .500 mark at 3-2. But it’s been downhill from there. Eli Manning hasn’t thrown an interception since week 4, and has just 5 all season. But the injuries are piling up and Manning has no real deep threat. They’ve put themselves behind the 8-ball, but with games left with both the Eagles and Cowboys at home, to go with some softer games in the 2nd half, it’ll be tough, but they don’t have any wiggle room if they want to make a real run for the playoffs.

Washington Redskins(3-6): RGIII came back, for better or worse and it didn’t make them better. The former Rookie of the Year looked slow and out of it in his return, and I didn’t understand bringing him back when they did. Colt McCoy (yes he still exists) looked pretty good and got them a win against Dallas. I would’ve run him out there again. They’re the worst team in the division, even with how banged up the Giants are.

NFC NORTH (This was always going to be a fight between Detroit and Green Bay)

Detroit Lions (6-2): They boast the best team defense in football. You’ve been looking for this team to put all their talent together for a while now, and this seems to be the year, led by the D. But that being said, their offense has been off lately. Calvin Johnson has missed time, the run game isn’t what you want and they’ve played games using their 4th string tight-end. But when your defense is top 5 in rushing and passing defense, it tends to hide offensive question marks. If they can get Megatron healthy, this team is going to be very dangerous in the playoffs.

Green Bay Packers (5-3): They might be in 2nd place, but they’re the best team in this division. Green Bay got off to a slow start, but while defense has carried the current leader, the Pack is a much more balanced team. Aaron Rodgers is an MVP candidate again. And if Eddie Lacy could ever be the consistent threat they need on the ground, I don’t know how you beat this team.

Chicago Bears (3-5): You boast probably the best wide-receiver combination in football to go with a top 5 running back, and yet they find themselves under .500. The defense, aside from allowing a 51 spot to New England in their last game has been pretty good. The issue is on offense, where there is questions of a lack of trust between Jay Cutler and his targets of Alshon Jeffery and Brandon Marshall. And when there is questioning of each other in the media, it’s hard to recover from.

Minnesota Vikings (3-5): considering they lost their starting QB and their All-pro running back early on, Mike Zimmer has his team competing. Even with Matt Cassell and Adrian Peterson, I don’t think this team would be much better than 3-5, but they’ve learned that Teddy Bridgewater is a capable starter. In a tough division like the North, at least they’ve shown they can play with teams outside. Now they just have to figure out how to make games in the division close. And with how bad Chicago looks, finishing 3rd is in the realm of possibility, especially with two left against the Bears.

NFC SOUTH (The most disappointing division in football?)

New Orleans Saints (4-4): It’s been a long trek back to .500 for the Saints after an 1-3 start. Drew Brees’ low is 17 points scored… that on the road against the Cowboys. So the offense has been pretty good. But this team is only going to go as far as the defense. They are very lucky to be in a division having a down year top-to-bottom. Having a game up on Carolina already for me gives them a clear path to the division crown.

Carolina Panthers (3-5-1): So I think their defense forgot how to play… well defense. Carolina finds itself top 3 in points allowed and the bottom 3rd of the league in total yards allowed. Add to that, a banged up Cam Newton, and an offense that finds themselves in similar spots in offense as defense. All ingredients for a below .500 record. And nothing I’ve seen of late has me thinking they can rebound in the second half of the season here.

Atlanta Falcons (2-6): Remember when this was a good team? Yeah, neither do I. A 2-0 start, the Falcons look like the 2013-14 Texans that finished the season on a 14-game skid. You know, minus the loss of a quarterback. Matt Ryan has been healthy, and has had enough weapons to get some wins here. The issue is on defense. Their secondary is basically swiss cheese, and the front 7 isn’t any better. I do think they’ll find a way to win again this season, but it might not be more than once or twice.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-7): Ugliness. I thought they’d be a playoff team. Nope. A rotating door at quarterback has shifted back to Josh McCown. Doug Martin looks like he’s never ran a football. The defense is atrocious. Vincent Jackson seems to forget that he’s a load and can out muscle any secondary player. It’s just bad for the Bucs.

NFC WEST (Arizona far atop the hill, just like we all thought… right?)

Arizona Cardinals(7-1): I give you the best team in the NFC, and it’s not really even close. They swept the NFC East that currently holds 2 of the 4 best records in the conference. They survived a couple weeks without their starting quarterback. Not to mention they’re getting healthy and are consistent on both sides of the ball. Arizona’s only real issue is that they still have two match-ups with the defending champs, but with how they’ve played, there’s no reason they shouldn’t at least split with them and maintain their led in the division.

Seattle Seahawks (5-3): For a team that entered the year as defending champs, they look nothing like a team capable of a repeat. Russell Wilson is leading one of the worst passing offenses in football. Marshawn Lynch is a shell of himself. Percy Harvin, a dynamic offensive weapon, was so distracting they traded him for nothing to the Jets. And the Legion of Boom has been disappointing to say the least.

San Francisco 49ers (4-5): This team is a mess. Between off-the-field issues and a lack of a run game to help take pressure of Colin Kaepernick who has his team in the bottom half in passing offense, they find themselves on the outside looking in. Rumors that Jim Harbaugh is leaving don’t help. Their only bright spot is their team defense, ranked 2nd in total yards allowed. What they need is to take advantage of 3 games left with the teams ahead of them, and for Kaepernick to figure some things out offensively, particularly in the red zone.

St. Louis Rams (3-5): I have to give them credit, they don’t quit. They’ve shown glimpses with getting big leads early over the Cowboys and Seahawks, but then they regress to a 3-5 team by losing both of those leads. Now they look to play spoiler (as they did against San Fran this week). Losing your starter just before the season starts is tough. If they could’ve executed better down the stretch of games, they could be in the conversation for 2nd in this division with a down year from the champs and niners.

So if things continue on the track they are, here are my 12 playoff teams as of now:

So we’ve seen week 8 come and go, marking the unofficial halfway point of the season.

Sure some teams have already taken their bye, meaning they’ve only played 7 of their 16 game scheduled, but many have played 8. So I figured I’d take a look back at my picks for the major awards and who was gonna win it all, and tell you who really won the 1st half of the season.

My Pre-season Division and Wild Card Winners

NFC: New York, Seattle, Green Bay, Atlanta, Dallas & New Orleans

Clearly I, was very off when I picked the Falcons and Giants to win their divisions. Sure it could still happen, but it’s very unlikely as they sit in 3rd and 4th respectively. But Seattle and Green Bay are both sitting pretty atop their respective divisions, and while Dallas and New Orleans aren’t wildcard times, they of course lead their divisions and would be playoff teams, as I thought they would be. I think the easiest division for me to pick had been the North. But this has become of the of the bigger surprises for me, with both Detroit and Chicago right there heading into the second half. The Saints, who I thought would be in a dog-fight with the Falcons all year for the South are coasting right now, but as we all know, a lot can happen in a short amount of time in the NFL. If the playoffs started today, 4 of my 6 pick would make the playoffs.

AFC: Patriots, Denver, Baltimore, Houston, Cincinnati, and Indy

Here’s another case of getting the teams right (for the most part), just not picking them high enough. Let’s talk about Indianapolis, who are showing they are a legit Superbowl contender, having knocked off three of the best teams in the league (Denver, Seattle and San Francisco), and easily at that. I had them winning the a wild card spot, so I wasn’t really off, but I never thought they’d do this well again. A lot of their success last year came in 4th quarter comebacks, something I didn’t see them replicating. Denver I’m not wrong about, but my biggest shock might be in Kansas City. I knew the Chiefs would be improved, never did I think they’d lead this division. I figured they’d battle for a wild card. But here they are the last undefeated team standing. The Pats hold a slim lead, but things can change quickly if they’re not careful. Baltimore and Houston have been big disappoints, while the Bengals defense has given them a nice lead in the North. Just like in the NFC, 4 of my 6 picks would make the playoffs if they started today.

My AFC and NFC Championship games probably won’t end up quite the way I picked them, but my Superbowl pick of Denver over Seattle (sure call it chalk) does remain as a real possibility.

And how about my pre-season award winners? Here is how some of my picks have changed.

Offensive Rookie of the Year:

I picked Texans Wide-receiver DeAndre Hopkins. After a half of football, my vote would now go to Packers Running Back Eddie Lacy, who I put down as an honorable mention. He’s given the Packers another option on offense, which just makes them more dangerous.

Offensive Player of the Year:

I picked Lions WR Calvin Johnson. After a half of football, my vote would now go to Broncos QB Peyton Manning, another pre-season honorable mention by me. How could he not be the guy right now? Look at his stats: 29 touchdowns to 6 interceptions. He’s completing nearly 72% of his passes and has only been sacked 11 times in 8 games. Sure he’s got a lot of weapons but he’s also finding them and making all the throws. But to be fair to Megatron, he’s having an insane year yet again.

Defensive Player of the Year:

I picked Bengals Defensive Tackle Geno Atkins. After a half of football, my vote would now go to the Chiefs OLB Tamba Hali. This guy has done a little bit of everything. 4 forced fumbles, 23 tackles, a pick 6 and 9 sacks.

I picked Packers QB Aaron Rodgers. After a half of football, my vote would now go to Colts QB Andrew Luck. This guy has shown he was the right guy to take number 1 last year. He can outplay the best of them, and can put early game struggles behind him to help his team late. His numbers aren’t flashy, but he takes care of the ball and is a true leader.

I picked Seahawks Pete Carroll. After a half of football, my vote would now go to Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid. When you turn a 2 win team into an undefeated team halfway through the season, you’re going to be considered for awards.

Houston Texans: This is a team I saw as one of the last two standing in the AFC. With a running back tandem like Arian Foster and Ben Tate, with a very good defense that got back Brian Cushing to play along side last year’s defensive player of the year in JJ Watt, I thought it was time for this team to take that next step. But Matt Schaub has regressed, and is now injured, and TJ Yates didn’t do much better backing him up.

Dis-Honorable Mention: New York Giants – They collapsed in the 2nd half of 2012, and have carried that bad play into 2013. Injuries have ravaged the o-line, secondary and running back position, but they still have too many weapons to be just 2-6 in the first half.

Biggest Disappointment – Offensive Player

Ravens RB Ray Rice: This is a guy who is usually atop the rushing yards leader board. But a year removed from helping his team win the Superbowl, Rice hasn’t done much to help his team, and it’s a big reason why they’re just a 2-win team coming out of their bye. At 26, there should still be something left in the tank, but he hasn’t been producing. He’s been very good in his career after the bye, so maybe the extra time off will help get him back on track.

Dis-Honorable Mention: Redskins QB Robert Griffin III – It might not be fair to say this, as the mobile quarterback is coming off a serious knee injury that knocked him out of the playoffs last year. But if you’re going to let him play, that means he’s healthy, which means we should be seeing more consistency from last years Rookie of the Year.

Biggest Pleasant Surprise – Team

Carolina Panthers: This team is riding on the high of a 3 game win streak that saw their offense put up 30+ points again, and the defense limit its opponents to 13.7 points a game, 2nd only to KC. This team hadn’t been over .500 since before Cam Newton was drafted. They are 2nd in a division where the Falcons play. That means something.

Honorable Mention: Kansas City Chiefs – 2 and 14 to 8 and 0. A sack happy, shutdown defense. A good run game. A quarterback who is very good at game management. They get honorable mention because despite a bad record a year ago, this team sent 6 players to the pro bowl, so the turnaround isn’t a huge surprise. This team is primed for a postseason run.

Biggest Pleasant Surprise – Player

Cowboys LB Sean Lee: This guy has a nose for the football, tied for 1st in the NFL with four interceptions, one of which he returned for a score. He also has the most return yards of a defensive player. He’s also defended 10 passes, recovered a fumble and has a combined 81 tackles.

Honorable Mention: Raiders QB Terrelle Pryor – His team only has 3 wins, and his numbers aren’t great, but after a few years of disappointment, he’s shown glimpses. First of all, those 3 wins match Oakland’s win total from a year ago. He can run with the best of the mobile quarterbacks. And he wasn’t even supposed to be the starter. Matt Flynn was brought in, and Pryor just flat-out beat him for the job.

So there you have it. That was fun, looking back at what I thought preseason and seeing how it’s panning out. Of course there’s still a whole lot of football to be played, and everything I wrote here (or almost everything) could be meaningless come week 9 or 10. But that’s the beauty of the gridiron, nothing stays the same for long. So win, lose or draw, let’s go out and enjoy the 2nd half of the 2013 season as much as we did the 1st half.